Not Konate or Robertson: Journalist fearful that Liverpool first-teamer won’t extend his contract
Journalist David Lynch has said that he would be ‘surprised’ if Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones were to sign a new contract at Anfield.
The 25-year-old was reportedly the subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan during the January transfer window, and Fabrizio Romano went as far as claming (via X) that the San Siro giants had entered ‘direct club-to-club talks’ with the Merseyside hierarchy.
The midfielder’s current deal runs to June 2027, and although Richard Hughes will need to deal with the rapidly expiring contracts of Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson more urgently, a big decision will have to be made on the future of our number 17 in the next few months.
Lynch would be ‘surprised’ if Jones signs new contract at Liverpool
Speaking to Anfield Index, Lynch outlined his fears that Jones could move on from Liverpool in the foreseeable future and implored LFC chiefs to do everything in their power to keep him at his boyhood club.
The journalist said: “I’ll almost be surprised now if he signs a new contract. This interest has got out there, and it is being clearly welcomed by the player.
“I just think it’s pretty terrible for Liverpool. He’s your only Scouser in the team now. You’ve developed him since he was seven or eight. Is there really not a world where you can give him a contract he’s happy with?
“He’s still playing an awful lot of games. He’s genuinely useful. He’s not just filling space. It doesn’t feel like he’s got his head on getting a contract signed and staying long-term. Liverpool are probably going to have to make a decision in the next 12 months.
“The way I took those comments is that his agents have communicated what a deal would look like. Now it’s up to Liverpool to come back to him. It’s a back-and-forth. It’s important to have homegrown players who are genuinely useful. There’s no justification for allowing this to drift.”
Is Jones underappreciated at Liverpool?
Lynch’s concerns about Jones’ contract situation are understandable. The 25-year-old is a semi-regular starter (10 and four in the Premier League and Champions League respectively this season) and has made 30 appearances in total this term (Transfermarkt), so he’s clearly valued by Arne Slot.
As we’ve seen from the sparse usage of Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa, and the inexplicable banishment of Harvey Elliott, the head coach doesn’t tend to hand out many minutes to players in whom he seemingly doesn’t have full trust.
The Scouse midfielder has grown into a hugely important first-team presence, having surpassed the 200-game threshold in recent weeks, although his current contract doesn’t seem to indicate that.
Sources vary as to exactly how much Jones is earning, but the generally reliable Capology cites his weekly wage at £50,000 – the lowest of anyone at Liverpool who isn’t a backup or academy player – so he’d be justified if he felt that his value to the squad wasn’t being reflected financially.
While noboby should be getting into the Reds’ first team solely on the basis that they’re a local lad, the 25-year-old has proven over a prolonged period of time that he’s good enough for this level, and it’d be a shame to see him walk out the door if he felt underappreciated at his boyhood club.
Hopefully at some stage in the coming months, the relevant parties can strike an agreement which’d keep the Toxteth native at Anfield for several more seasons yet.
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